The Maryland Clean Energy Jobs Act will make our energy work for the people and places of Maryland. Hear from Power52 Energy Institute's trainees and graduates about why solar workforce development is our future, and already our present.

In partnership with Living Classrooms' Workforce Development Team, Power52 Energy Institute Baltimore City provides the first Clean Energy Private Career School specializing in Solar PV installation to be approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission. Power52 Energy Institute Baltimore City enrolls unemployed and at-risk adults in an accredited eleven-week comprehensive training program and wraparound services to ensure that the trainees are successful. Through paid on-the-job training both in the field and in the classroom at UA House at Fayette operated by Living Classrooms, the program provides OSHA-10 Safety Certification, PV Associate Installer Certification, and job placement assistance upon completion. Much like the power itself, the future and opportunities of those it benefits should be sustainable too.

In December of 2017, Power52 Energy Solutions employees and graduates of the inaugural class were contracted to install solar panels on Living Classrooms' three community centers in East Baltimore, turning them into the nation's first urban community-based resiliency hubs through a partnership with the Baltimore City Office of Sustainability. Patterson Park House and POWER House community center located in Perkins Homes, the largest public housing community in Baltimore, are now equipped to offer disaster relief to their neighboring communities in the event of major emergencies or natural disasters. The addition of small solar panels with battery storage will allow Living Classrooms' resiliency hubs to provide a few days of support to neighbors to charge cell phones, store medicines and provide residents resources such as fresh water, food, radios, snow shovels etc. In spring 2018, UA House at Fayette operated by Living Classrooms will be the third center to be equipped with solar panels, providing the same services to residents of Pleasant View Gardens and surrounding neighborhoods. These systems will also be installed by graduates of the Energy Professional Training Program.

In November of 2017, Power52 Foundation hosted Operation Sleigh Bells Energy Networking Event/Toy Drive to establish strategic industry relationships with the hopes of creating further employment opportunities for participants of the program. On January 18, 2018 Power52 Energy Institute Baltimore City hosted “speed” interview sessions and headshots for the trainees. Many of the companies at the “speed” interview session were strategic relationships formed at Operation Sleigh Bells: Energy Networking Event/Toy Drive. Three trainees were offered an employment opportunity on the spot. Beginning in February 2018 the recent Power52 graduates will have an opportunity to work with leading solar development companies for paid on-the-job training.

The long-term community development strategy of the partnership between Living Classrooms Foundation and Power52 Foundation is designed to break the cycle of poverty, unemployment, under employment, and incarceration that exists within the Baltimore Target Investment Zone (a comprehensive Living Classrooms' initiative focused on a targeted area of East Baltimore that suffers from extreme poverty, unemployment, high crime, low graduation rates, and chronic health problems), while simultaneously advancing communities resilience through a holistic sustainable strategy.

Note to Media: Media are invited to attend the ceremony for photo, video, and interview opportunities. Please contact Michelle Subbiondo or Brandy Jackson in advance if you plan to attend.

About Living Classrooms Foundation: For over 30 years, Living Classrooms has worked to strengthen communities and inspire children, youth, and adults to learn skills for life and achieve their potential through hands-on education, job training, and health and wellness programs using urban, natural, and maritime resources as “living classrooms.” Our effective programs serve over 25,000 youth and young adults annually in Baltimore and Washington, DC and the surrounding metropolitan areas, and have a special emphasis on serving disadvantaged and at-risk populations. More information: www.livingclassrooms.org

About Power52 Foundation:

In the aftermath of the 2015 riots, a Baltimore based solar developer, a real estate executive, and an NFL icon were brainstorming on how to restore hope back into our communities. Rob Wallace, Cherie Brooks, and Ray Lewis formed Power52 Foundation. Power52 Energy Institute Baltimore City, owned & operated by Power52 Foundation, provides an intensive 11-week employment training program for at-risk adults, returning citizens, and at-risk individuals living in Baltimore City and surrounding counties that prepares participants for careers in the solar industry as well as other green job opportunities. For more information: www.power52.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The First Clean Energy Private Career School with a Specialty in Solar PV Installation Approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission

Power52 Foundation is the second non-profit to ever receive Private Career School approval by the Maryland Higher Education Commission.

Baltimore, Maryland—During the Maryland Higher Education Commission’s (MHEC) October 17, 2017 Board of Trustees meeting, private career school applicant—Power52 Foundation, was approved. This approval establishes Power52 Foundation as the first Clean Energy Private Career School specializing in Solar PV installation to be approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission.

Co-Founded by Cherie Brooks, Ray Lewis, and Rob Wallace, Power52’s mission is “to strengthen communities and inspire people to achieve their potential through hands-on job-training in the energy sector. Power52’s long-term community development strategy is designed to break the cycles of poverty, unemployment, under employment and incarceration in our Urban Communities across the nation while simultaneously advancing communities resilience through a sustainable strategy”.

Power52 Foundation in partnership with Living Classrooms launched their training in January 2017 bringing workforce development, resiliency, and clean energy solutions to low and medium income communities. In addition, Power52 Foundation is working with Living Classrooms to convert their community centers into resiliency hubs, offering disaster relief support to their neighboring communities. This project is forecast to be the first completed of its kind in the country.

Sharing a passion for Baltimore and the future of its youth, and in an effort to change the way the city is viewed by the outside world following the 2015 protests, Brooks, Lewis, and Wallace agreed that they had the means and the responsibility to impact the community. “The Power52 Foundation Career School will provide its trainees with credentials that will make them marketable in the energy sector”, says Cherie Brooks. “Power52 will not only give young people opportunities to successfully enter the workforce” notes Ray Lewis, “but it will also educate people so that they can understand the importance of energy independence.” Adds Rob Wallace, “We will train, we will place, we will provide scholarships. We will teach our students how to fish so that they can fish and in turn support their families and our community”.

Power52 Foundation has expressed its intention to open in Ellicott City, Maryland in the Winter of 2018. Power52 Foundation is committed to building a pool of talented, motivated individuals who are ready to change the dynamics of the world, starting with their local communities.

POWER52 is a Maryland based 501(c)(3) established to provide hands-on job-training in the energy sector for individuals in disadvantaged communities that are struggling financially. Power52’s long-term community development strategy is designed to break the cycles of poverty, unemployment, under employment and incarceration in our urban communities across the nation while simultaneously advancing communities resilience through a sustainable strategy. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter,Instagram andSnapchat.

Power52 was one of the sponsors for Baltimore City Schools Mentor program for new teachers. The City Schools Site Based Mentoring Program is a part of the Maryland Department of Education's Comprehensive Teacher Induction Program. Every teacher between years 1-3 receives a mentor who supports, advocates for, and gives feedback regarding personal and professional growth.

New teachers have the benefit of working with a mentor who is often a veteran teacher, with at least 5 years of experience and a plethora of resources that he/she is willing to freely give to any and all New Teachers.

During the summer academy our team endeavors to build community for the mentors in such a way that the tenets can be transferred to New Teachers across the district during the entire year. We situate the mentors from the perspective of the coach and highlight their expertise and value as life long learners and educators.